Asthma | Wheat Allergy | Gluten Allergy | Allergy

Wheat, Gluten and Asthma

by Allergy Guy

Asthma is strongly linked to environmental irritants and allergens. It is often triggered by physical exertion.  Wheat or gluten may also be a factor.

Typical asthma triggers include smoke (tobacco, wood fires etc.), chemicals, pollen, dust and dust mites, mold, pet dander and cockroaches.

Here are hidden asthma factors that no one is talking about: wheat and gluten.

These foods are probably not direct asthma triggers for most people.

A surprising number of people may be experiencing asthma from wheat and gluten, but indirectly.

Some studies have show a link between gluten sensitivity and asthma. For example, children with asthma have a higher incidence of celiac, according to one study.

Other studies have shown that when some people eliminate wheat from their diet, their exercise-induced anaphylaxis symptoms stop.

Numerous reports and anecdotal stories are showing a strong link between wheat or gluten, and asthma.

A reaction to wheat and a reaction to gluten may be two different things. What they have in common, besides the high levels of gluten in wheat, is that they are common foods, nearly impossible to avoid.

Because they are likely to be in your diet on a multiple-times-per-day basis, and because their effects are delayed, as are the benefits when these foods are removed from your diet, it is unlikely that you would notice the connection between wheat or gluten, and asthma.

However, if you eliminate all gluten-containing foods for three to four weeks, you may notice a big improvement in your asthma symptoms. I sure hope you do. Please add a comment with your story after you have tried this.

Note that traditional allergy tests may come up negative for wheat and gluten.

There are several reasons why you should ignore the results of such tests and try eliminating gluten from your diet instead. This is of course the ultimate test.

For one thing, if you have celiac, you don’t have an allergy, you have a specific reaction to gluten in your gut. This is a very serious condition that can do tremendous damage over time. There are tests for celiac disease.

Another reason tests are not that accurate. They give false positives, false negatives, and may miss other immune reactions such as delayed food reactions, food sensitivities etc.

So forget the tests, if you have asthma, try a gluten-free diet, and see what happens.

Please post your stories of wheat, gluten and asthma in the comment box below, so you can share your experiences with others experiencing the same problems. Thanks!

Gluten, Asthma and “My doctor thinks I’m crazy”

“My doctor thinks I’m crazy” you might say.  In deed, I copied and pasted this phrase from one of the many comments below.  Many doctors think in a linear way: asthma, cause unknown –> take asthma medication and avoid air borne allergens like dust and pet dander.  The idea of celiac disease is starting to take hold among doctors, but only if you have stomach ailments.  The idea that a gluten allergy or some other mechanism may somehow be connected to asthma won’t enter most of their brains, and if it does, they will assume you are crazy, not that they are ignorant.

If you find that a gluten free diet reduces or eliminated asthma symptoms, you may choose to tell your doctor about it, but think about it as a test to see if he is open-minded; don’t ask him for permission to treat you or your child’s asthma by avoiding gluten.

(Visited 47,951 times, 1 visits today)

Leave a Comment

{ 36 comments… read them below or add one }

Previous post:

Next post: